1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a structure for installing an electronic apparatus such as a lightweight, compact radio apparatus or measuring apparatus, providing a function for adjusting the inclination angle thereof, and suitable for use in installation in a narrow space.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, with dramatic advancements in the integration of electronic circuitry, efforts have been made to achieve compactness in radio equipment for amateur radio and commercial radio services, this combining with motorization to result in a great increase in the population of mobile stations.
Radio equipment for use aboard vehicles is generally mounted into a dashboard of a vehicle, and although compact radio equipment has been developed, the dashboard still provides only a limited amount of space, providing a cramped installation for such equipment.
In the past, in installing radio equipment in a vehicle, the configurations shown in FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 have been used. In these drawings, the reference numeral 51 denotes a radio apparatus, and 52 is a bracket.
The bracket 52 is made of sheet metal, bent into a U-shape by pressing, and is formed by a bottom part 53 and side parts 54 and 55 on either side thereof, and usually has approximately four mounting holes formed at appropriate locations in the bottom part, the bracket 52 being screw-mounted to a shelf surface of a dashboard 56 using these mounting holes.
The side parts 54 and 55 of the bracket 52 have, at corresponding locations thereof, round holes 57 and elongated holes 58 formed along an arc having the round holes 57 as their centers. The side covers 59 and 60 on each side of the radio apparatus 51 have two threaded holes formed with a horizontal distance therebetween that corresponds to the radii of the arcs, screws 61 and 62 passing through the round holes 57 and the elongated holes 58 of the bracket 52 and being screwed into the threaded holes of the radio apparatus 51, thereby side-suspending the radio apparatus 51 between the side parts 54 and 55 of the bracket 52.
In the above-noted case, because the screws 62 screwed into the side covers 59 of the radio apparatus 51 are movable along the elongated holes 58 of the side parts 54 and 55, the radio apparatus is side-suspended in a manner that permits it to rock about a straight line joining the axes of the screws 61 of the side covers 59 and 60, making it possible to fix the radio apparatus 51 at a desired angle by adjusting the radio apparatus to the desired angle and then tightening the screws 62.
With a radio apparatus for a vehicle mounted into the dashboard thereof, because there is a considerable difference between the eye height of an operator and the height of the operating panel, making it impossible for the operator to view the operating panel front-on, and because in the case in which a liquid-crystal display is provided on the operating panel there is a limitation to the viewing angle, it becomes difficult to verify the operating status or data of the radio apparatus, making the above-noted angle adjustment and fixing function necessary in order to establish ease of operation.
Electronic apparatuses such as radio equipment or measuring equipment often have operating panels that are rectangular, with the longer dimension being the horizontal dimension, and there are installation locations that do not provide sufficient width for installation.
For example, taking the case of the above-noted vehicular radio apparatus, a limitation will be imposed by the width of the dashboard, leading to cases in which the bracket 52, as shown in FIG. 10, fits into the dashboard 56, but in which there is only an extremely small space between the side walls 63 and 64 of the dashboard 56 and the side parts 54 and 55 of the bracket 52.
In this case, it is not possible to screw the bracket 52 into the dashboard 56 with the radio apparatus 51 side-suspended by the bracket 52, and even if an attempt is made to first mount the bracket 52 to the dashboard 56 and then mount the radio apparatus 51 to the bracket 52, it is difficult to screw in the screws 61 and 62, and nearly impossible to tighten the screws 62 while adjusting the inclination angle of radio apparatus 51.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a structure having a function enabling adjustable setting of the inclination angle of an electronic apparatus, and, in the case in which the electronic apparatus is installed on a surface of a shelf or wall, enabling uninhibited mounting, even if there is insufficient extra width in the installation location.
In order to achieve the above-noted objects, the present invention adopts the following basic technical constitution.
Specifically, the present invention is an electronic apparatus installation structure having an adapter in which a bearing part that rotatably supports a rotating shaft that has one screw hole or a plurality of screw holes arranged in a line along the axis of a round rod and a base part that supports the bearing part are integrally formed, a surface of the bearing part that is on the opposite side from the base part being formed as a substantially arc-shaped surface about the axis as a center, an elongated hole being formed in a circumferential direction at a location on the arc-shaped surface opposing a screw hole of the rotating shaft, and in which a restraining mechanism provides restraint so that the screw hole between the rotating shaft and the bearing part does not exceed the limit over which the elongated hole is formed and move and rotate in the axial or circumferential directions, and an electronic apparatus having a through hole at a location corresponding to the screw hole on the adapter side, wherein the base part of the adapter is fixed to an installation location on the electronic apparatus, a mounting screw being passed through the through hole on the electronic apparatus and screwed into the screw hole on the adapter side, thereby fixing the electronic apparatus to the adapter.
In the present invention, the adaptor is fixed in place by mounting the base part thereof to a shelf surface or to a wall surface. In this case, although the generally used means for fixing is that of forming a hole in the base part and using a screw thereat, it will be understood that other mechanical fixing means or an adhesive can alternatively be used.
When an electronic apparatus is to be installed in a vehicle by placement from above, the bottom cover thereof is in contact with the substantially arc-shaped curved surface of the bearing part, and if the electronic apparatus is to be installed in a vehicle by suspension, the upper cover thereof is in contact with the substantially arc-shaped curved surface of the bearing part, and is held in place by a mounting screw. Because the screw hole of the rotating shaft is movable along the elongated hole formed in the substantially arc-shaped curved surface of the bearing part, in the condition in which the mounting screw is not tightened, it is possible for the electronic apparatus to be swung about the axis of the rotating shaft as a center.
Therefore, in the condition in which the mounting screw is not tightened, it is possible to adjust the electronic apparatus to a desired angle of inclination, and then tighten the mounting screw at the adjusted angle, so as to hold the electronic apparatus fixed with respect to the bearing part.
In the above-noted case, because the operation of tightening the mounting screw is performed from the top in the case in which the electronic apparatus is installed by placement from above and from the bottom in the case in which the electronic apparatus is installed by suspension from above, it is sufficient that the installation width be just a small amount greater than the width of the electronic apparatus.
The restraining mechanism between the rotating shaft and the bearing part keeps the screw hole always disposed within the range in which the elongated hole is formed, thereby serving to facilitate this operation.
Although there can be either one or a plurality of screw holes on the rotating shaft, firmer holding is possible with a plurality of holes, and in the case of a single hole there is the advantage of being able to swing the electronic apparatus about the mounting so as to adjust the angle of the operating panel surface.
The bearing part and the base part of the adapter can be fabricated by machining, casting, or by molding from resin, and can also be simply fabricated using a press operation.
Specifically, the various regions of a metal sheet making up the upper side and lower side of the bearing part are divided by a slit and an elongated hole is formed in the region constituting the upper side, after which the upper side region is pressed upward so as to form a substantially arc-shaped curved surface, and the lower side region is pressed upward so as to form as double-humped wave shape, thereby forming a bearing part internally encompassing a rotating shaft, enabling the part that is not pushed upward to serve as the base part.
Although the electronic apparatus is held in place in contact with the substantially arc-shaped curved surface of the adapter, the swinging thereof is restrained by the action of friction at both of the joined surfaces in both directions.
In this case, because the coefficient of friction at the joining surfaces is not that large and because the surface area of the joining surfaces is small, unless the tightening force of each mounting screw is made large, insufficient restraining is achieved.
With respect to this problem, a reasonable solution is to sandwich between the adapter and the electronic apparatus a rubber or resin sheet in which a hole for passage of the mounting screw is formed, or a metal sheet to which is adhered a rubber sheet or resin sheet to the side in contact with the adapter.
The construction of an electronic apparatus is often one in which an upper cover or lower cover is often mounted to an internal chassis, and these covers usually do not have sufficient rigidity as panels.
Therefore, if the mounting screws are strongly tightened, the cover not only deformed by flexure, but it becomes impossible to achieve sufficient restraint with respect to the above-noted swinging.
With respect to this problem, a reasonable solution is to devise an enclosure having a structure in which a cylindrical stud is interposed vertically between the adapter side cover and the cover on the opposite side at the location of the through hole for the mounting screw, and to pass the mounting screw through the stud and tighten it into the screw hole on the adapter side, thereby solving this problem.